Two Record-Setting 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopios”

Written by Donald Osborne

All images courtesy of Bonhams

Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopio” chassis 1120066

Engine number: 1120070

The exceptional example of Lamborghini’s original LP400 “Periscopio” Countach offered here, chassis 1120066, was produced in the model’s second production year, 1975. The car was finished by the factory as seen today, in Blu Tahiti over a Naturale (light tan) leather. As with all LP400s, 1120066 was fitted with a kilometers-per-hour speedometer and Celsius temperature gauges. Interestingly, the car is fitted with engine 1120070 (engine 1120066 resides in chassis 1120062). According to Lamborghini authority Valentino Balboni, it was not uncommon that technical issues, such as delays on the dynamometer or, most often, delivery urgencies, would result in the first available engine being selected and installed — but no corresponding correction would be made to the already installed serial-number plate. As such, according to Balboni, there are “known reasons to consider engine number 1120070 [as] originally fitted by the manufacturer in chassis 1120066.” The fact that the car has never been separated from its engine in the 36 years that it has been in the care of the present owner further corroborates this.

Delivered new to Zurich, Switzerland, in March of 1975, 1120066 was acquired by the current owner from the Auto Palace in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1978. For decades, two Countaches resided in the owner’s garage with minimal use, first in Ohio and later in Florida. Between the limited practicality of the machine and the busy work schedule of its keeper, fewer than 16,500 original kilometers (10,252 miles) have been enjoyed in 1120066 over the past nearly four decades.

Never shown publicly and rarely seen since being acquired, 1120066 appears today as a veritable time capsule — a beautifully original Periscopio. Inside, its seats and console show minimal wear. All of its original fixtures, such as its Phillips stereo and factory climate controls, are still in place looking virtually new. The gauges and Christmas-tree warning lights are similarly untouched. Outside, the original Campagnolo wheels were fitted with a new set of Michelin XWX tires about a year ago. In the front trunk, the never-used spare sits under the original tool set. Most recently, a full repaint of the exterior in the original Blu Tahiti was completed to alleviate the deleterious effects of the past 40 years. The original paint was retained in the doorjambs and under the trunk and engine lids.

With its fewer than 11,000 original miles and its long-term owner’s meticulous maintenance, 1120066 must be one of the most original LP400s around today. The car presents as a low-mileage, correct example — surely the best way to buy one of these delicate thoroughbreds. With its original engine intact and its original color combination preserved, 1120066 has been spared alterations or later-model spoiler and wing upgrades. An iconic car for its era, the Countach ushered in the era of the modern supercar, and here is an exceptional example of the original Countach.

Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopio” chassis 1120070

Engine number: 1120068

A rare, right-hand-drive example, chassis 1120070 was delivered new to Malta, its first owner being one Alfred John Gaul. The car was first registered in the U.K. in 1990, and it was first owned in this country by a well-known collector, the late John “Jack” Tattershall. In the current ownership since 1993, the Countach has been driven on the road every year since its acquisition, albeit sparingly, and currently displays a believed-genuine total of only 12,500 kilometers (approximately 7,800 miles) on the odometer. The reading at time of acquisition in 1993 was 10,500 kilometers. As one would expect of a car that has seen relatively little use, this Countach remains in remarkably original condition; indeed, the engine has never been apart. Repainted in the 1990s, it is finished in one of the nicest color combinations of Blue with Ice interior, the latter original and nicely patinated.

Over the years, 1120070 has been carefully maintained by recognized specialists (Lorenzini Motorsport, Motorapide, Bob Houghton). The car also comes with its original service book, stamped initially by the Lamborghini factory, the instruction manual and a U.K. V5 registration document.

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